GURUGRAM: The curfew in Delhi has impacted attendance in industries of Gurugram as many of the workers living in the capital are finding it difficult to commute in the absence of enough passes. Industry owners said the process of applying for passes was cumbersome and many of them had even asked their workers in Delhi to stay at home.
“Those industries that have a majority of employees living in Delhi are facing problems. Some have asked their workers to stay in Gurugram itself, but not many are willing to leave their families alone in this situation,” said Deepak Maini, general secretary of the Federation of Indian Industries. “The problem is all the more because industries are finding it difficult to get passes for their employees,” he added.
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The effect of the curbs on movement is being felt most by the industries in Udyog Vihar, where a majority of the workers come from Delhi. “A lot of workers employed in Udyog Vihar live in Delhi and they can’t come out of home in the absence of passes. A few of them tried to come to work, but they had to return,” said Animesh Saxena, a factory owner.
A few workers, he added, managed to cross the border through internal roads, but most couldn’t.
Some factory owners expressed hope that the issue over passes would be resolved soon. “It’s true that we are facing problems getting passes for our employees from Delhi. We have raised our concerns with the Delhi government and they have now started to streamline the process. Hopefully, the issue will be resolved in a day or two,” said the founder of a startup in the city.
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Asked to stay at home, a few workers from Delhi now fear losing their jobs. They said they planned to head home to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh before the curbs intensified. “I work in a garment manufacturing unit in Gurugram and live in Delhi. But the company has asked those staying in the capital not to come to work. We are now planning to go back home (Bihar) before train and bus services are also shut down,” a worker said.
Saxena and Maini also expressed concern that if more and more labourers returned home, work in factories would come to a standstill. “They are taking private buses to reach home. We have been repeatedly assuring them not to go back. We will take care of them,” said Maini. .
